


Fireland

by kate7h



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, New Special Operations Squad | New Squad Levi, Post-Canon, Survey Corps- Surverying, Volcanoes, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-25 01:38:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6175159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate7h/pseuds/kate7h
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While mapping and surveying a mountainscape, Squad Levi find themselves in danger and have to fight against nature itself to survive. Post-canon 'AU' where everyone is alive and all the titans are gone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this should be a fun ride!
> 
> Here's the new flare color codes:  
>  _Red: Danger ahead, caution_  
>  _Black: Titan spotted, or some other immediate threat, attacker_  
>  _Green: Forward, or continue the set mission_  
>  _Yellow: Fall back, regroup_  
>  _Purple: Emergency_  
>  _Blue: Stop, redirect_

Jean sneezed, rubbing at his face with a gloved hand.  _ This had to be the route we take _ , Jean thought sullenly. The Scouts had been divided into squads to survey the area and  _ of course _ , Squad Levi was left with the most difficult route. It didn't really take an elite team to climb up a mountain, they all had the same survival training. 

Everything was so damn cold, and they were  _ still  _ ascending. They weren't even allowed to ride their horses because of the terrain. The pass was a narrow road of rock beside a massive, steep slope of loose snow below them, and upwards was a sheer wall of slightly harder-packed snow above them. The path was barely wide enough for them to go two by two, dragging their horses behind them. The sun shone brightly down on them as they pushed their way over the pass, but it didn't feel like any warmth was actually getting to them. Just the light of it reflecting off all the snow. It was blinding whether they were looking up or down. Which  _ sucked _ . 

"I swear, I feel like my toes are gonna fall off," Jean mumbled, annoyed beyond belief. 

Armin laughed behind him. "You should've doubled your socks, Jean."

"Well nobody told me that was a requirement," he snipped back.

"Maybe use some common sense once in while, idiot," Eren smirked (Jean couldn't see the smirk since Eren was walking beside Armin, but he  _ knew  _ that bastard was smirking). 

"You should insulate your feet so you don't get frostbite," Mikasa cut in as she thrummed a finger on her gear, (it wasn't required to wear at all times, so only a select few were equipped for emergencies), before Jean could turn around and shout his retort at Eren. "When we stop, use some of the pages from your notebook."

Jean blinked at her as she walked beside him. "Yeah, thanks."

He resisted the urge to sigh. Honestly, he was over his crush on her. He really was, and he wasn't trying to fool himself. Even still, there was instances such as this where he was reminded how head-over-heels he had been for her. But he was happy to be her friend, and only that. He liked it better, actually. She wasn't as solely focused on Eren as she used to be (even with them being in their 'secret' relationship now), so it seemed like she had an easier time being actually friends with other people, namely him. And it probably helped that he wasn't pining after her anymore. 

"We have a ways to go before we stop, so keep your toes on, Jean," Levi called back to him from the front of the line. 

Jean frowned, not amused in the least, though there were a few chuckles among his comrades. "Yes, sir."

"It'd be really awful if you got frostbite, Jean," Sasha said from up ahead. "One winter, my uncle got it and my dad had to cut off three of his fingers."

"I call not cutting off any of Jean's toes!" Connie interjected.

Jean gritted his teeth as everyone started to laugh. "Damn all of you! I'm not getting frostbite!"

His voice echoed out eerily and everyone went quiet, looking up the side of the mountain beside them. Specifically at the many meters of snow that could  _ apparently _ slide down on them in a torrential wave. 

"Oi!" Levi turned around, glaring him down. "You wanna find out what an avalanche is like up close and personal? Quit shouting like a twit."

Jean gulped and they all fell silent. It was amazing how much they'd found stowed away after they retook the government and stopped the suppression of knowledge. Information and books about the outside world, which were studied meticulously before they began going out into the world (to give themselves a semblance of what to expect, the danger being far more ambiguous than giants eating people.) Avalanches were apparently a thing to avoid when in the mountains surrounded by snow. Which is where they were currently.

It was quiet for a few minutes as they trudged, the hooves of their horses clopping against the rock surface. 

"It's beautiful though, right?" Armin said softly, looking out over the cliff. 

Jean looked up past Mikasa, and he had to agree. They could see much of the mountain range they were trying to map. The snow covered the peaks, light from the sun illuminating them. The air was just so clear, and the sky almost seemed bluer. It was amazing and it made Jean wish he'd brought his watercolor paints and not just charcoal to document the sights. Black and white just didn't do it justice. 

"I'm glad we could all come here to see it," Eren replied, and Jean saw Mikasa nod as she took in the sight as well. 

Jean's eyes were drawn to her feet as she veered a little too close to the edge, (there wasn't much space to begin with, but still, it was pretty close). He didn't say anything though, since he was sure she was aware of everything around her because  _ c'mon, it's Mikasa. _

He should've said something, should've warned her, because one moment they were admiring the view, and the next Mikasa's foot had slipped out from underneath her. Almost in slow motion, she toppled down, surprise in her face as she reached out, trying to catch herself. It was too slick and she was already falling.

"Mikasa!" He shouted, echoed by Armin and Eren who'd both seen what happened as well. 

Jean rushed forward, trying to see how far it was down. Then he saw a grappling hook shoot out, aimed for the rock. It was at the wrong angle, only going to hit air or snow. Jean barely had a moment to think as he reached out to where it flew past him. He gripped the cord and his gloves were no match for the sharp hook. 

He couldn't hold back the pained shout as he was yanked and twisted down, getting a face full of snow as he felt his shoulder give an agonizing pop. He did  _ not  _ think that through....

He felt someone grab onto his hand, stopping his fall, which jerked his hand against the grappling hook in it. He yelped again as his shoulder was yanked at a different angle. He looked up to see Armin's hand clasped around his forearm. Above him, Armin's other hand was in Eren's, with Eren holding onto the reins of his horse to keep them all from falling.

"Armin! Jean! Hang on!" Eren shouted down at them. "You got Mikasa, Jean?!"

Jean groaned from the weight pulling down at his hand and shoulder as he glanced down. The cord was long, far down, but Jean could see the shape of her figure below him, no longer falling down the slope of snow. He was  _ immensely  _ grateful she hadn't propelled herself upwards with him attached to the hook. That would've not been too pretty.

"Yeah- ugh dammit!" Jean shouted back up to Eren, his eyes and teeth clenching at the pain.

"Hang on! We'll pull you back up!" Sasha called and Jean could see her grabbing Eren around the middle, trying to hold them up before Eren slipped too. 

Jean could hear Levi barking orders, as well as more panicked words from his comrades above, but he was starting to not be able to focus on it. He looked down at the bloody mess which was his hand, dripping down into the snow. He was still gripping the hook, although with the way it was stabbed through the side of his hand, it probably wouldn't make any difference if he held on or let go. 

"E-Eren I'm slipping!" Armin cried, drawing Jean's attention back up. 

"I got you, buddy, just hang on!" Eren called back to him, but Jean could still feel it, the subtle shift against the cold snow on his belly.

Armin groaned, and Jean thought for a moment of just letting go. Mikasa was unreachable, and now he was attached to whatever happened to her. They didn't need to drag Armin down too, or Eren for that matter, if he were to fall too. Was it worth the risk? If one of them got to survive this? Could he decide something like that with Mikasa's life literally on the line?

But he didn't make a decision fast enough because he felt it when Armin's fingers slipped from Eren's.

"No!" Eren cried, but his shout was already fading as the three of them tumbled down the mountainside.

 

* * *

Eren stared down the slope, the trail of red left behind as his friends slid down and down until they were specs against the white, and then not even that. 

"Guys!" Sasha shouted from beside him, jarring him out of his horrified trance. 

He pulled himself up, turning to see Levi leaning over the two of them, frowning down the snowy ledge, his whole body tense. 

"We have to figure out a way to climb down and help them!" Eren yelled, moving towards the edge.

"Oi, don't!" Connie shouted as Levi caught him by the shoulder, swinging him back onto the rock.

"What the hell are you doing?" Levi said, his voice monotone.

Eren blinked at him. "W-what? We have to help them, Captain!"

Levi took in a deep breath and blew it out before responding. "And what good would throwing yourself down after them be?"

He looked back down at the snow, the dark red splotches left by Jean. Panic started to flood him again, especially when he looked at Sasha and Connie's faces, seeing the same panic and fear in their eyes. 

"Are you asking us to do nothing?" Eren asked, his voice trembling.

Levi tched as he looked down the slope again. "They sure got us in some heaping shit." He sighed before looking at Eren again. "We can't climb down that safely, not to mention with our horses, and we can't use our gear in that snow. There's nothing to do but proceed, kid."

Eren gaped, his stomach dropping at even the thought of leaving them behind. Mikasa was… a very important person to him, and Armin was his best friend, and Jean was no less of a friend than they were. They were comrades, together through the war till it's end and beyond. They hadn't had a casualty in the Scouts in over a year. His face hardened. "We can't just abandon them, sir! I won't do it! I won't leave them to die!"

Levi side eyed him as Eren stood bristled, aware that he was on the edge on insubordination. "Do you really have so little faith in your friends, Eren?"

Again, he was taken off guard. "W-what?"

Without responding, Levi pulled out a flare gun from his belt, loaded it and shot the green smoke out over the ravine. It took a few moments before a responding flare shot up towards them. It didn't quite reach up to the height they stood at, but looking down, they could see the flash of green. 

"They know how to survive, so they'll survive. Then we'll meet up again when we can. For now, we'll keep in touch with the flares and move at a parallel pace. Any of you brats got a problem with that?"

Eren breathed in a slow breath, looking back at the responding green fading from the air. "No, sir," he replied along with Sasha and Connie. 

"Good. Then let's get off this shitty mountain."


	2. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being thrown down the mountainside, Mikasa, Armin, and Jean face new dangers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'mma just keep putting the flare codes in these notes, makes it easier to check.
> 
> _Red: Danger ahead, caution_   
>  _Black: Titan spotted, or some other immediate threat, attacker_   
>  _Green: Forward, or continue the set mission_   
>  _Yellow: Fall back, regroup_   
>  _Purple: Emergency_   
>  _Blue: Stop, redirect_

This was inexcusable. Completely and totally ridiculous. Mikasa had just turned her head to look at the mountainscape, and now she was at the bottom of a ravine, staring up the snowy slope to the narrow pass where Eren and the rest still were. 

Mikasa moved, her body aching from the landing. Miraculously at the bottom of the ravine was soft, moist dirt, and the slope was at an angle and not a straight drop. They might've been more harmed by the fall if she hadn't stabbed her swords into the snow as deep as she could, and that slowed them a little bit. Although, doing that had swung Jean and Armin in front of her, and from the red in the snow, she knew that one of them was wounded, likely with her own grappling hook. There was a reason she hadn't tried to pull herself up with the gear mechanism.

She hauled herself off the ground to look at the other two, the two she'd dragged down with her in her moment of stupidity. 

"You guys, are you alright?" She asked, looking over them.

Armin was already moving to sit up. "Yeah, fine, but Jean…"

Mikasa's eyes turned to the other boy, and her heart clenched in shame. Jean was crumpled on the ground, his right hand bloodied as he still grasped her wire. 

"Jean, you…" she got out as she rushed to kneel next to him, Armin right beside her. 

Jean wasn't unconscious, like she'd expected when she'd spoken first. Closer, she could see how his jaw was clenched, his forehead pressed into the dirt as he tried to not scream. And no wonder. His hand was wrapped around the wire, as if he'd caught it in the air, then the force of her fall had pulled the hook down, impaling through the back of his hand. It must've been excruciating, and that wasn't even including his likely dislocated shoulder. 

Armin was already pulling his pack off, reaching for his first-aid kit. Mikasa had one as well, but Armin tended to be more adept at such things. She sat back, giving Armin room to tend to Jean. Armin's face was hard, the face he got when he was desperate to solve a problem whose solution determined the life or death of others. And although Jean would most likely not die from such a wound, the situation they were in was dire. Jean's wound needed to come first, then they could think of what to do next.

"Hang on, Jean! I'll get that out right away!"

Mikasa looked down at her knees, her fists clamped in the material of her pants. It wasn't a fatal injury, but he could lose function in that hand, to defend himself, to write, to sketch like he did. Her stomach churned, guilt weighing on her. 

After a few minutes and a few muffled screams, her hook was removed from his hand, along with his own glove (thankfully no pieces had torn off and embedded themselves inside), and his shoulder was back in place. Armin set to cleaning Jean's wound. 

Mikasa watched as Armin shook all over except for his steady hands as he carefully wrapped a bandage around Jean's still bleeding hand, then a sling over his head, holding his arm against his chest.

When he finished, Armin touched his fingers to Jean's head. "You okay?"

Jean grunted, pulling himself upright all the way, avoiding using his injured hand. "No…. shit, I can't believe this."

Mikasa frowned and looked away when his eyes met hers.  _ I can't either _ , she thought, wishing she could just go back in time ten minutes and  _ not  _ let her foot slip. 

"So what'da we do now?" Jean asked as Armin tied a sling around him, his voice still shaky as he looked up at the cliff above. "There's no way we can climb back up that."

Armin shook his head. "Our best bet is to continue in the same direction as the rest of the squad. We've been moving towards the north, so we'll just keep going north until we can find a better place to climb back up or…." Armin glanced at Jean, a frown lingering on his face. "Or where the squad can come down to us."

Just then, a flare shot out from the cliff, angled down, causing the green smoke to descend over them. 

"Looks like the captain had the same thought," Armin muttered as he reached into his pack, pulling out his flare gun and responding with his own green flare upwards. "At least we can keep track of each other's locations, so we won't end up too far away from the rest of the squad."

Mikasa looked up at the flare, then back down. Pushing her guilty feelings aside, she stood. "Can you walk, Jean?" 

Jean looked up at her. "Uh- yeah, I can."

"Then we should get moving. Like you said, Armin: we don't want them to leave us behind," Mikasa said curtly, pulling her bag up sharply against her shoulder. She glanced down at the hips, trying to gauge how much fuel she had left. She was the only one of them equipped with the gear, due to it not being a requirement anymore since there were next to no titans left, perhaps a few stragglers, but unlikely. They still had a couple Scouts equipped for the possibility. That, or any other sort of danger.

It was on her to protect them, so she would. This was all her fault, anyway.

"It's warm," Armin muttered, looking around as they continued on, hugging the slope, which was more slushy mud than snow. 

Mikasa nodded. It was, strangely so. They hadn't fallen so far that they weren't on the same mountain, but the biting cold wasn't there anymore. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more insufferable it became. She tugged the scarf undone from around her neck, letting it hang on her shoulders, then unzipped the front of her coat.

"That's weird," Jean said, walking between them with his wrapped hand cradled to his chest. "Why would it be so much warmer down here?"

"I dunno," Armin replied. "Maybe this is a fire mountain."

Mikasa and Jean both looked at him blankly.

Armin laughed, shrugging. "There was a book about them. Volcanoes, I think is what they were called. My book growing up mentioned something about one of their phenomenons, remember, Mikasa? The firelands?"

"Yes," Mikasa wished she didn't. Walking across something called a 'fireland' didn't seem all that appealing to her, and not knowing what to expect from that was even worse. "Do you think that's where we are?"

"Maybe," Armin shrugged, but she could still see a smile on his face. Mikasa frowned at him. This was no time to be so excited.

Jean groaned. "Well that's just great! What the hell are we supposed to do to protect ourselves in a  _ fireland?! _ "

"It's not actually on fire, it's just because of the heat from under the surface of the earth. It can result in a few different things, like heated water pools and tar pits, steam vents, and probably a bunch of other things too."

Mikasa didn't like the sound of any of those. But she did remember a pretty important detail after reading that book. "And what if the volcano erupts?"

Armin shook his head. "The book said there were a lot of signs to say that an eruption was about to take place. Like earthquakes and other things. We haven't felt anything like that, so it most likely won't."

"Not too sure how I feel about that 'most likely'..." Jean mumbled. 

Armin laughed. "It's not like it's a sneak attack, Jean."

Jean slumped. "Says you."

Armin laughed again.

Mikasa let it drop. If a volcanic eruption wasn't an immediate danger, she decided to turn her attention to their surroundings. There wasn't much there, or at least from what she could see. There were trees again (up above, they'd past the altitude at which trees could thrive), some were lush, the young saplings full of green and new growth, while the larger older ones seemed long since dead, they're only sign of life being the sparse, dusty looking leaves in their pale branches. There must've been some kind of eruption in the last few decades. It must've just felt like an earthquake back inside the walls. Well, at least there was wood for fire. 

She watched the little movements in the foliage, which signified that there were animals they could hunt. Who knew when they could meet back with the rest the squad, and the rations they had in their packs were only for that day. They would need a different food supply before long.

They went on for a few hours, resting for a couple minutes at a time to let Jean catch his breath, (he'd lost quite of bit of blood). Mikasa let him drink the rest of her water, but she was definitely looking out for another water source. It was the same sort of issue as was the food rations. And since they didn't have access to snow anymore, it being so much warmer in this pocket of forest they'd fallen into, they needed to find something else. She wasn't too worried about it, though. There was mud, and there was lush greenery and wildlife. All these things needed water to thrive, and they were thriving.

"Thanks," Jean said, handing her back her waterskin. 

"Don't worry about it," Mikasa said, looking down, then back out at the trail. "We should probably keep moving. We don't wanna get left behind. Armin."

She called over to him as he was off to the side of them, standing on a boulder looking at the treeline. He turned, "I think we're going to lose light way before Levi and everyone does."

Mikasa blinked, then noticed how low the sun seemed. It was barely afternoon, or so she thought. "How much sooner?"

Armin shrugged. "Hours, probably. We're so deeply tucked in between the mountains here. The sun just won't be able to reach us."

"So that leaves us with the choice of travelling in the dark, or slowing everyone's progress by stopping when we lose light," Mikasa said, feeling her stomach sink a bit.

"We could make torches and travel by firelight," Jean suggested. "But we won't be able to see any flares very easily in the dark."

"Stopping so early will delay us rejoining the rest. We don't know when, or really if, there will be a place where we can meet up again, and how long it'll take to get there," Armin said seriously.

They all fell quiet, letting that seep in. They could very well be stuck, trapped down here. Mikasa's heart shuddered at the thought. If she was trapped here, she'd never see Eren again. Or any of the squad, for that matter. Along with that, Armin and Jean would be trapped here with her, and it was her fault. Mikasa breathed in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep calm.

"No, we'll get out," She said, her voice flat. "I refuse to be trapped here indefinitely. We'll move when it's light and make camp before dark so that we can continue to signal them above. And all the while, we'll look for places to get back up to them."

Jean and Armin looked at each other, then back to her. "Sounds like a plan then," Armin said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please comment, I would love to hear your thoughts!


	3. Unforgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean and Armin reminiscent about the past. Meanwhile, Mikasa discovers a new threat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Red: Danger ahead, caution_   
>  _Black: Titan spotted, or some other immediate threat, attacker_   
>  _Green: Forward, or continue the set mission_   
>  _Yellow: Fall back, regroup_   
>  _Purple: Emergency_   
>  _Blue: Stop, redirect_

_ This sucks, _ Jean thought disdainfully, trailing along behind the Armin and Mikasa. It had been nearly a whole day since they'd fallen down the ravine and gotten separated from the rest of the group. His stomach growled, but he didn't really feel that hungry. Nauseous and tired, yes; hungry, not so much. Mikasa had gone out into the forest and caught some small animals like rabbits and squirrels, so it wasn't like they were going to starve. The problem was water actually. The air felt stagnant with hot moisture, but they hadn't been able to find any water yet. And they'd run out before nightfall the day before. It was afternoon now and the sun would set in just a few short hours, so it was pretty important that they find some soon.

He wiped his left hand against his forehead, trying to ignore the pounding in his head, the slight tremble in his hand. Not to mention the intense throbbing in his right hand as it was wrapped up in bandages.  _ I'm not sick _ , he told himself. That would just make this entire situation that much worse. He was just tired. Definitely just tired and thirsty. 

"Jean?" Armin asked, looking behind at him. "You okay?"

Jean shrugged. "I'm fine. Just wishing we could find some water in this stupid place."

Armin nodded, slowing his pace to walk beside him. "We'll find some, I'm sure. There's a lot of wildlife around, so there can't not be any. We just… haven't found it yet."

"We'll find it. And if we can't, I'll climb the wall and retrieve some snow to melt," Mikasa said from up ahead, pulling her boots up out of the mud. 

Jean glanced up the slope. Yeah, there was still snow up there, but as the hill sloped down towards them, it turned into mud, and he wasn't sure that would hold a grappling hook any better than snow had. 

"There has to be some on the ground. I'm sure Sasha would be able to find water out here," Armin said.

Jean nodded, but his head was hurting way too much to even formulate a response. He shook, pressing his hand against his chest, trying to concentrate on moving one foot forward, and then the next.

"Jean… Jean?" Armin asked, his voice coming into focus as Jean turned to look at him again.

"What?"

"You were zoning out," Mikasa said flatly. 

They'd both stopped. Jean hadn't even noticed when he'd stopped with them. He looked down and immediately regretted it when a wave a dizziness had him swaying.

"Jean!" Armin cried out, catching onto his left arm. 

"I'm fine…" he muttered, feeling far from it.

Mikasa frowned, stepped forward to touch the back of her hand to his forehead, her skin cool against him. "You have a fever."

Jean frowned back. "It doesn't matter, we just gotta get back up there before we die of thirst."

Mikasa's eyes narrowed. Without a word, Mikasa pulled out her flare gun and shot blue smoke into the air. She turned back to him with a hard gaze. "It does matter. Sit down and rest. Armin, stay here with him and I'll go look again."

"I guess I don't have any say in this, huh?" Jean shouted after her, but she was already moving away.

Shouting was a mistake. He swayed, his head feeling light. Thankfully, Armin probably saw that coming as he reached out to catch him, helping him sit down where he was on the ground. 

"Are you okay? And I mean really," Armin said beside him, still holding onto his arm. 

Jean glanced up at him before pressing his fingers to his forehead, looking up to see a responding blue flare spread out across the sky. "I feel like complete shit."

Armin sighed, rubbing his hand against Jean's arm, before pointing at the hand Jean had gingerly pressed against his chest. "Can I see? It's been awhile since we cleaned it."

Jean grimaced at knowing how much that was going to hurt, but held his arm out anyway. Armin pulled off his pack, which thankfully still held a pretty okay-sized first aid kit. There was only a little bit of cleaning solution left though, so Jean was wary about using the rest on him when they had no idea what sort of thing they would face down there.

He'd been right, it hurt like a bitch, even with how gently Armin unwound the bandage material. Underneath the wrappings, the wound was swollen, pulsing with each beat of his heart. It wasn't bleeding, but there was a good amount of yellowish-cloudy pus oozing out of the open wounds. 

"I wish we had some water," Armin said, holding a cloth under his hand as he slowly poured the alcohol over it. Jean hissed, the stinging almost worse than the swollen pain of it. 

"Oi, don't use all of it, you idiot!" Jean exclaimed, making Armin pause for a moment. 

"Why not?"

Jean snorted. "We don't know what else'll happen while we're trapped down here. What if one of us gets hurt worse than this? That's the only bottle we have."

Armin shook his head, continuing to pour it into Jean's hand. "If that happens, then we'll deal with it as it comes. I'm not gonna let you die of infection on a possibility."

Jean tched, looking away as he felt his face heat up a bit. This was gonna come back to bite them in the butt, and he knew it. Damn Armin's gambling tendencies, (it wasn't usually a problem, since he was more often than not right) but still.

"Does it feel like the bones are damaged at all? I can't tell if the swelling is from broken bones, or just the infection," Armin said, looking closely at his hand.

He shrugged, trying to concentrate if he could feel it. It hurt a lot, but he could still move his fingers, so that must've been a good sign. "I'm not sure, maybe. I can't tell from just the pain."

Armin nodded. "I think I'll splint it just in case. Better safe than sorry, right?"

Jean glared at that, since Armin had just used up the last of their cleansing alcohol, after Jean had told him to save it. "Yeah, okay."

It wasn't long before Jean's hand was firmly bound against some sticks Armin had found for a splint, then tied back up into the sling. It was still throbbing, but less than it had been before, the cleaning probably (definitely) helping. 

"Thanks," Jean muttered, sending Armin a quick smile. 

"No problem," Armin replied. "When Mikasa gets back, we'll get you hydrated again, so that should help with the headache."

Jean hadn't told him about the headache, but Armin was observant enough to just know, he supposed. "You need to drink too. We're all dehydrated."

Armin nodded again. "I hope she finds some soon."

It was quiet for a few moments as they sat, watching the shadows stretch in the dipping sun far sooner than they should have been at that point in the day. In the distance, they could hear the sounds of crickets chirping, the way those things tended to do around dusk. 

"Do you have your sketchbook with you?" Armin asked out of the blue.

Jean blinked. "Uh, yeah, it's in my pack. Why?"

Armin shrugged. "It's just nice to look back at the places we've been to so far. Mine's in the saddlebag on my horse, so I can't really get to it." He laughed, shrugging again. 

With a huff, Jean tugged his pack into his lap, pulling his sketchbook out. Armin got up and sat beside him, taking the book into his own hands as he opened to the first page. There were some notes in it about the locations and what was there, but it was mostly filled with drawings, illustrating their journey. During the war, he'd let this particular skill slide, putting his focus on other things. But since they'd began this 'Mapping the Outside World,' long-term operation, he'd brushed up on it a lot. Jean frowned at his hand, laying limp in the sling. What if he couldn't draw again? He bit his lip, trying not to think about it. That was definitely not the most important thing to be concerned about.

"Hey, Mikasa!" Armin said as he turned the next page. Jean blushed. He wasn't very good at people, so he drew the people around him to practice.  _ There's nothing wrong with that! _

"It looks really good," Armin followed up, running his finger along the blank parts of the page beside the thick lines of her hair. 

"Thanks," Jean replied, blaming his red face on his fever.

Armin turned another page. "Oh, did you draw all of us?" He asked after seeing a sketch of Connie and Sasha sitting beside a fire one of the nights. 

Jean shrugged. "I- I wanted to practice drawing people, and well…"

"That's pretty amazing. Why haven't you showed any of us?" Armin asked.

"There's not much to show… they aren't even that good…"

Armin laughed. "Really? These are really well-done. Stop being so hard on yourself."

Jean rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks."

Another page and Armin looked up with a glowing smile at his own drawing. It was of him leaning over his book, the horizon of the sea in the distance. Jean was actually pretty proud of that one, he'd gotten the values just right for it to look like light was shining off Armin's golden hair. 

"You made me look so pretty!" Armin said happily. 

"I just drew you, so…" Jean muttered.  _ Ugh, how many more do I have in here? _

After turning another page, Armin laughed outright, pointing at a sketch of Eren with horns on his head. "Really?!"

Jean laughed with him. "Because he's the devil, I swear!"

"Jean, that's terrible!" Armin only laughed harder. 

"I have a better one of him, don't worry," Jean replied, reaching out to turn the page.

As the next page turned, they both froze, laughter dying on their lips. Jean knew he'd drawn it, remembered each stroke of lead across the page, so why did his heart clench so painfully every time he'd turned to this page.

"Marco…" Armin said, looking down at the sketch.

Jean looked down. "Yeah… I just… didn't want to forget what he looked like, you know…"

Armin pressed a hand to Jean's shoulder, supporting. "It's looks just like him, Jean."

He knew it did, since he'd never been able to forget, Marco's face and words always with him. But it was such an immense relief to have someone else validate what he knew in his imagination.

"Thanks," Jean muttered. 

For probably the millionth time, Jean wondered what Marco would think of him today. He hoped it would've been a good thought. Not that that mattered, since he was dead now. He could never share in these adventures with them, all he was was ash and memories. 

Jean's hand trembled as he turned to the next page. The next was a picture he had to keep in his mind's eye for a while as he got it out on paper. 

It was of their whole squad, and a few others from the corps, sitting close as they laughed at old jokes and stories from their training days. Even Levi was smiling as he sat with them. It had been one of the first nights when they'd first started going out to explore the outside of the wall, and spirits had been unusually high. They spent the night laughing away their regrets, telling stories and singing songs. He would never forget the hauntingly beautiful song Mikasa had sung in the language of her mother's tongue. Then after that, Levi's slow, soothing song of comrades and drinking had them all feeling sleepy. It was really an unforgettable night. 

"I'm glad you drew that," Armin sat after a while, probably remembering what Jean was. 

Jean smiled, pressing his fingers to the page. "Yeah, me too."

 

* * *

 

Mikasa had found water; it hadn't been too hard when she stepped back and paid attention to the life in the forest.

There was a spring which seeped up from the rock below, then overflowed into a stream, narrowing into a creek as it progressed. The air around it smelled foul, like eggs that had long since gone bad, becoming stronger as bubbles from below popped on the surface, though strangely enough, the water was only tepid, despite the appearance of boiling. She was wary, but she watched birds and other wildlife drink from it without reservation. 

She filled all three of their waterskins, deciding to take the chance, rather than let them all die of thirst. 

As she leaned in, filling it from the moving spring, she paused at what she saw on the ground. The four-padded print was definitely bigger than the rabbits they'd seen, pressed deep into the mud by the weight of the creature. At each pad was the mark from a sharp claw. 

Mikasa finished filling the water and looked around, noticing many more. A good sized pack of wolves, probably happy to hunt for something bigger than little woodland creatures. 

_ Shit _ , Mikasa thought, moving to hurry back to Armin and Jean. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the next update!


	4. Gunshots Resound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Up above, Levi and the squad desperately try to conceive a plan to rescue their comrades. Down below, the three fight to survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flare Color Code:  
>  _Red: Danger ahead, caution ___  
>  _Black: Titan spotted, or some other immediate threat, attacker ___  
>  _Green: Forward, or continue the set mission ___  
>  _Yellow: Fall back, regroup ___  
>  _Purple: Emergency ___  
>  _Blue: Stop, redirect ___

Levi frowned at the blue flare as if flashed below them.  _ Stop. _ For what reason and for how long could not be conveyed with flares alone, which made it an annoyingly limited form of communication. 

"Respond likewise," he murmured, gesturing at Connie. 

"Yes sir," Connie said, loading the shot into the barrel, then let the smoke fly. 

"I wonder why they had to stop," Sasha said, nervousness in her voice. 

"They're probably just taking a break. I mean, Jean got hurt, right Eren? Maybe they're taking it easy to help him keep up his strength," Connie said quietly, stowing his flare gun away again. 

Eren nodded, worry all over his face. "Hopefully he's not that injured. It was in his hand, but I didn't really get a good look. Honesty, we can't be sure."

Levi blew out a breath. Half his squad were separated from them, and he really had no idea how to get them back. It was maddening, ridiculous. It shouldn't have been so complicated to just retrieve them.  _ Damn mountain, damn snow.  _ It had been years since he'd lost a squad member, or a member of the scouts in general. He'd had this batch of kids since the tail end of the war. They should probably have all been promoted and become leaders of their own squads. Maybe it was selfish, but he liked how it was, and they did too. It was fine.

That is, until those idiots decided to fall down a mountainside like a couple of rocks.

Levi looked around at the rest of his squad; Eren, Sasha, and Connie. For the time they spent waiting they were busying themselves, watering their horses, tracing their path so far in notebooks, but they all had that tension about them. And who could blame them. There wasn't really anything to do but wait, and that was the worst kind of threat to oneself or their comrades. Levi would very much prefer something he could kill and protect his squad from. Unfortunately, you couldn't just stab a mountain.

He glanced at where Eren sat, facing the downslope of snow as he drank his water. Levi wasn't blind to the way his hand drifted near his mouth. He could imagine a brief tear of teeth and a flash of light, then Eren's titan form barreling down the snowy landscape.  _ Shithead better not try it _ , Levi thought to himself, but he couldn't help the small part of him that wondered if that would work. If Eren turned into a titan and went down to find them, would he be able to climb back up? Would he just trap himself down there with the rest of them? Was it worth the risk of losing another member of his squad?

"Shit," Levi muttered to himself, looking down the slope once more. It was just about as long a drop as he'd observed before. Hundreds of meters of loose snow. There was no way Eren could climb back up that, whether he was a fifteen-meter tall titan, or not.

Eren glanced up as Levi spoke, then back down, eyeing his hand in a completely obvious way. Really, could he be any less transparent? 

"Sir?" Eren said, looking up at him.

Levi scowled, knowing exactly what was coming. "What?"

"Maybe if I turned into a titan-"

"Absolutely not." It wasn't even worth letting him finish. Levi already knew it wouldn't work.

The way Eren frowned, Levi could tell he hadn't completely thought it out for himself. "But, I'd be a lot bigger and I could carry them back up! It wouldn't be hard at all!" 

Levi sighed. "You'll just get stuck down there with them, or did you not see how high up we are? Or how loose the snow is?"

Eren looked down again. "It's just… it's killing me to just sit here not knowing what's going on."

Eren wasn't the only one being torn up with worry, they all were. Especially since all he could give the kid was a reassurance of maybe. He had no way to know what was going on down there, or how to do anything about it. For all they knew, they could very well be dead, and they'd be standing here, waiting for a flare that wouldn't come. Levi kicked a rock off the edge of the path, watching it tumble down until it sunk into the snow.

"Turning into that thing wouldn't help that. Hell, you might even sit on them on your way down," Levi said, his voice flat. "Just sit tight. We'll figure it out when we start moving again."

"Whenever that is…" Connie said, halfheartedly petting his horse's nose. "What the hell are they doing down there?"

Connie was asking the right question, though. It had been almost two hours and they were still on standby, waiting for the green to go. At this rate, they wouldn't make it any further before the sun set.

"Um, Levi? I think I might have an idea why they stopped, though," Sasha said as she looked out at the afternoon sun. All eyes turned to her.

"And that would be?" Levi asked.

Sasha turned back to them, then pointed at the sun. "They fell down real deep into the ravine, and now they're stuck between mountains. Their sunset could be a lot sooner than ours, since we're a lot closer to the top of the mountain and we can pretty much see the horizon in almost all directions."

Levi blinked.  _ Huh _ . He hadn't even thought of that, but it made sense. He glanced down again, seeing how many more shadows were down there than before. Likely they were already in darkness, if Sasha's theory was correct. Which it probably was. The girl was usually right about such things, uncanny natural instincts. 

"If that's the case, then let's set up camp. We're gonna be here a while."

 

* * *

The elevation was increasing, slightly, but it was enough to feel as they walked along. The sloping ground made their trudge through the forest that much more difficult. Mikasa didn't mind. Her legs were strong, they were fed and had enough water to drink, but she wasn't the one wounded. She glanced back at Jean's pale face, the sweat on his forehead and the red stained bandaged hand. He was talking with Armin about something, Armin smiling up at him with his eyes glowing. She turned away, deciding to remain quiet. 

Mikasa let her fingers run along the scarf hanging off her neck. She should really just put it in her pack since it was too warm to actually wear, but she didn't want to take it off yet. She could wash it later. That is… if they made it back up the mountain. She was determined to see that through, but her sheer will to return to Eren and the rest couldn't literally move mountains. Or climb impossible ones, either. 

The wall beside them was steeper now, but it also looked more firm. Not nearly hard enough to climb or use her gear on, but it was harder packer dirt, and that was better than slush or mud. Perhaps they could find a place to return up soon. Her eyes kept darting to the wall, hoping each step they took would reveal an escape. The sooner they found it, the better, since they were being hunted now.

Her neck was bristled as she looked to the thick brush. There were no visible signs, but she could feel eyes on them, watching as they hiked. Mikasa's fingers twitched, her hand placed firmly on her pistol. A gun like that would've been useless on a titan, but she assumed it would be effective enough on a hungry wolf.

"Mikasa? What's wrong?" Armin asked, and she hadn't realized she'd stopped walking, staring into the forest.

Mikasa glanced at him, then back at the trees. "We're being watched."

Armin and Jean both looked in the direction she was.

"Huh? What would be watching us out here?" Jean asked, his voice tired and breathy. 

Mikasa pulled her pistol out, holding it ready. "Predators."

Silence followed her voice, as if they all collectively held their breath in a gasp of near disbelief that things could get worse. Until she heard the rumbling growl of a creature, and she took a step back. She could see it's eyes now, it's face, it's teeth. It knew she'd seen it, which escalated the need to hunt.

"Get back," she whispered harshly to the others, aiming her pistol as the growling continued. 

"We need a plan, we couldn't outrun wolves," Armin muttered behind her. "Maybe the sound of the gun will scare them enough to leave us alone."

Mikasa nodded. It was worth a try. "When I fire, run along the wall as we've done. Stay in the open."

"Right."

She glanced at Jean's pallor and cursed, him and herself. If there was no way they could outrun wolves, then the possibility of Jean making it like that was even less so. Armin clung to Jean's good arm, ready to pull him, but Armin wasn't the most agile either. For the millionth time, Mikasa wished they all were equipped with the gear. 

She shook that off. Wishing wouldn't help anything. 

"Ready?" She said, taking aim at the snarling animal. Behind it, she could see shadows of many more shapes. They were the prey of an entire pack. It would be a miracle if they made it out of this alive. 

"Ready."

She squeezed the trigger, and the loud bang resonated through the mountains. Then they ran.

 

* * *

 

The gunshot was loud, and had immobilized the first wolf, but apparently the shock didn't have as much effect on the rest of the pack as they would've liked.  _ At least we have a head start _ , Armin thought darkly. Not that that'll last. Wolves were so much faster and more equipped to a chase like this. At least they had their guns, and Mikasa had swords. At least they weren't defenseless. 

Still, Armin was holding onto Jean's hand, and he could feel his clammy skin, how warm he was with fever. He was slow too, he'd have been lagging behind if Armin wasn't clinging to him, and Mikasa to Armin, dragging them all through the forest. But they couldn't keep this up, not with Jean in the condition he was. 

Up ahead, there was a patch of trees, noticeably dead trees. And while the rest of the forest pocket was lush and green, there had to be a reason the trees were dead. Maybe a reason that would somehow give them a hand up in this chase. 

"Mikasa! Over there, those trees!" He shouted, and Mikasa gripped him tighter, pulling them towards the trees.

It was different than what he would've expected. The ground was a flat plain, perforated by pools of thick, black liquid. Armin couldn't tell what it was, oil or tar or something, but from the bubbles and the heat they felt coming near them, Armin was pretty sure the smartest thing to do would be to keep their distance.

Instead, he grasped Mikasa's hand firmly and led them both into straight in the plains, following the narrow paths between pools. 

"The wolves would know that this place means death, I mean, look at the trees!" Armin said quickly, his breath short.

Mikasa and Jean didn't say anything, and Armin frowned. He was expecting at least some sort of protest or complaint from Jean, like usual. He said nothing, just following along with them. They needed to get back up the wall, get him some medicine. But they had to not get eaten by wolves first.

Their boots skidded along the narrowing paths, the edges breaking off into the tar below. Armin skittered his feet, desperately  _ not _ wanting any of them to fall in. 

"Ah- Stop!" Armin said, holding his arms out when the path abruptly ended, leaving them only the path from which they'd come, overhanging with a big, dead tree. If push came to shove, they might be able to climb that, but it didn't look strong enough to hold all three of them. Plus, Jean climbing probably wasn't something that was gonna happen.

Mikasa whipped around, standing between them and the wolves that had followed. There were more back on the shore, but a few had ventured onto the paths. They must truly be hungry if they ventured this close to the tar. Now Armin's plan had only gotten them cornered between one painful death and another.

More gunshots rang out as Mikasa fired her pistol. A wolf fell, then another, but they kept coming. They weren't behaving anything like how Armin had assumed, and now they were going to die because of his hasty misjudgment. 

Mikasa fired until her pistol clicked, her ammo gone. The extra ammo was packed in the saddlebags of their horses.

"Dammit!" She hissed, tossing it aside and pulling out her swords. 

Armin went to yank his own gun out, then fired as one got too close to Mikasa's face. It fell, submerging into the muck.

"Jean, you should- ah!" Armin cried, feeling his foot slip as he turned.  _ No _ … was all he could think as his feet left the ground.

"Armin!" Jean shouted, reaching for him, but it was too late. The next thing he knew, he was sinking agonizingly into the thick, hot tar. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...So...*makes things 10x worse* sorry about that... 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Lemmie know what you think!


	5. Regroup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cornered, the hope for survival becomes slim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting pretty close to the conclusion! To more chapters! Thanks to all of you who've stuck with my very sporadic updating! And also thanks for those of you who've commented/left kudos. It means a bunch! 
> 
> Okay, now to the chapter!
> 
> _Red: Danger ahead, caution ___  
>  _Black: Titan spotted, or some other immediate threat, attacker ___  
>  _Green: Forward, or continue the set mission ___  
>  _Yellow: Fall back, regroup ___  
>  _Purple: Emergency ___  
>  _Blue: Stop, redirect ___

Mikasa turned as Armin's scream echoed in her ears.  _ Dear god, no. _

He'd sunken so fast, he'd have been completely submerged if Jean hadn't jumped forward, pulling on Armin's hand, holding his face above the surface. Even in the brief instant she was able to look, she could already see the red of Armin's skin as he continued to scream that blood-curdling scream.

She stabbed another wolf, shoving it's body at the next attacker. They were just going to keep coming, and Jean wouldn't be able to pull Armin out on his own. She needed to end this. Now. 

_ Fire _ , she thought, remembering a time long ago when she was a little girl. He father telling her of the dangers in the forest. Of wolves and wild dogs and a fear of fire.

With quick hands, she yanked the lowest hanging branch of the tree beside them, letting it fall between her and the wolves. In that moment of distraction, she pulled the matches from her pack and struck it against the dry, dead wood. The flames grew quickly and she took a step back as the wolves retreated from it.

_ Thank you, father, _ she thought hastily as she rushed back to Armin and Jean.

"Mikasa! Armin is-!" Jean shouted, trying with all his might to pull Armin from the muck.

Mikasa reached down into it, the heat searing her own hand. He'd only been there for a minute or so, but he already looked so red and burned. She grasped Armin's hand and yanked him from the sticky goop, him falling onto her. He was so hot.

She pulled him completely onto the path, trying desperately not to panic. "H-help me get his coat off…" she murmured, undoing his front zipper with shaking fingers as Jean adjusted to hold Armin in his lap, murmuring comforts at the boy as he whimpered from the agony.

Most of the damage was to his exposed skin, the multiple layers of winter clothes seemingly saving him from more damage to the submerged portions of his body. His neck, upper chest, and hands were the worst, the skin there bright red and covered with black goop, probably blistered underneath that.  She pulled her water out of her pack, beginning to pour it onto his burns.

"Wait," Jean said, holding out a hand to stop her. "Get something wet, we can soak them without using all of the water."

She nodded, looking in her pack for a cloth, but they'd used most of their bandages for Jean's hand. Without another thought, she yanked her scarf off, placing it around Armin's neck and chest, then pouring the water onto that.

Armin was crying, his tears rolling down his face, and it hurt Mikasa to see. He was in so much pain, but she and Jean could literally do nothing else to help him. The medicine and pain killers were up with the rest of the squad, and he could definitely use both. 

"Armin, hang on, okay? You're gonna be okay," Jean said, brushing his hand through Armin's hair. "We're gonna get you out of this."

Mikasa turned to the fire behind her, the tree was in flames, barring entrance or exit. The wolves had retreated back, barely visible in the tree line, but they were there, waiting for an opening. 

To normal predators, they were a prey that was more trouble than it was worth. This felt more like a need for vengeance, and that was a scary thought. Mikasa was quite familiar with that sort of mentality. If this was the case, the wolves would keep coming until the three of them were dead and torn apart. 

She tore her eyes away and went back to Armin. Jean held Armin drooped against him. His eyes were glazed, no longer crying, just staring at nothing. A keening noise replaced his cries. He was most definitely in shock. 

Mikasa knelt in front of them, pouring more water onto the scarf lightly wrapped around him. 

"What do we do now?" Jean asked, and Mikasa looked up at the strain in his voice. Jean was just about as pale as Armin was (where he wasn't burned, that is), his skin pallor and clammy. In this moment of crisis, Mikasa had nearly forgotten that Jean was sick as well. Damn her, what a situation she'd gotten them into. 

"I don't know," Mikasa said quietly, her voice barely audible over the crackling of the flames behind them. "I… I don't know…"

Jean forced a breath in slowly. "Okay… well, we can't stay here. That fire's not gonna last long."

Mikasa glanced at it, then at the wall. The surface of it looked a lot studier, maybe even a rock face. Too bad now they couldn't even get to it to climb back up the ravine. It was looking very grimly like they were going to die here. 

With her jaw clenched at the thought, she yanked her pack open again. "We need to signal them up above."

"Yeah…"

She pulled out three rounds, firing them in sequence until the sky above them was filled with the colors.  _ Emergency, attacker, stop. _ Mikasa figured that was enough to let them know the situation to an extent.  _ Hopefully  _ it was enough. At least, enough to let them know that if they didn't respond, that the squad should know to move on with them. 

"None of us are going to die here," Mikasa ground out. "We need to think of something." 

Jean glanced around, and Mikasa watched as his own eyes were drooping, his breath uneven. She clasped her fingers together to stop them from shaking.  _ We aren't going to die. We are  _ not  _ going to die. _

"I think…" Jean started, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at the wall. He turned back to her, resolution on his face.

"I have a plan."

 

* * *

Eren couldn't help but feel his heart drop at the sound of gunshots. Many gunshots, echoing up to them from below. Then followed by a distant scream that Eren definitely recognized as Armin's. 

_ Armin, Mikasa, Jean…. What the hell is going on?! _

They'd stopped, no one saying a word as they waited, desperately waited for a flare that could somehow explain what was happening. Eren felt like he was going insane, his hands trembling so badly against the horse's reins in his hand. Armin was screaming, guns resounding, and they were just sitting there. 

But it was worse when they went silent.

"What do we do?" Sasha asked, her voice quiet with fear. 

"What  _ can  _ we do?" Connie replied, sounding just as shaken. 

Levi was standing at the edge, looking down once more. Stomach churning violently, Eren stepped out to look as well, purposefully making his movements slow as to not puke from the anxiety he was feeling. 

"I still don't have permission to become a titan?" Eren asked, his voice shaking just as much as his hands. 

"Yeah, you don't. The sound of it might cause an avalanche, anyways," Levi muttered. "We need a better plan than that, kid."

Eren shoved a hand through his hair, yanking a bit too hard. "How can we just sit here?" He whispered, mostly to himself. "Armin is…"

"Quit bitching and let me think," Levi snapped, an edge to his voice that Eren could easily recognize as worry. 

Trembling, Eren ground his teeth and stomped to the other side of the path, smashing his fist into the ice. It did nothing to relieve this terrible  _ helplessness _ he was feeling, just sent a spasm of pain through his knuckles and forearm. There was a small crack, so he was pretty sure he'd broken something. 

"Eren, what the hell?!" Connie shouted, grabbing his arm before he could do it again. 

"Get off me!" Eren shook his arm free, but he didn't punch it again. 

"Hey, Eren!" Levi called over to him. "I don't care if you break every bone in your body. Don't you dare become a titan. We got enough shit to deal with."

Eren stared as his arm steamed, his body healing itself. "Yes, sir."

He looked up at his comrades. Sasha was still looking worried, glancing down the mountain, but Connie was glowering at him. 

"You're little temper tantrum make anything better, huh? Feel all better now?" Connie said in a scathing voice. 

Eren never had such a strong urge to hit Connie before, of all people. "Piss off."

Connie rolled his eyes, pointing down at the mountainside. "It takes up your energy to heal, doesn't it. Quit being a moron! We're gonna need you!  _ They're  _ gonna need you! Now stop being so stupid and help think of a plan!"

With that, Connie turned and stomped back over to Levi. 

Sasha sent him a shrug. "I know it takes more than that to put you out of commission, but the point still stands. We need to rely on each other, okay?"

Eren looked down at those words. "Yeah…"

_ Pull yourself together, moron _ , he thought bitterly at himself.  _ There's no use in falling apart now.  _ Those two were right, they needed to rely on each other or they'd fail. 

At that moment, flares shot up from the far side of the mountain where Erwin and the rest of command were. Yellow,  _ regroup.  _

"Eren," Levi said. "Shoot a purple, then blue."

"Yes, sir," Eren replied, fumbling a bit to pull his flare out and load the shot. Honesty, he was grateful for something to do with his hands. The anxiety in the air was making him tremble. 

From below, three more flares shot up, separate to their correspondence with command. Purple, black, blue. 

_ They're being attacked?!  _

"What the… a titan?!" Connie whispered in horror, his face pale. 

A cold quiet settled over them for a moment until Levi spoke once more. "No, they wouldn't use guns against a titan. It's most likely some other kind of attacker."

Eren looked down the ravine, dread sinking within him.  _ Mikasa… Armin… Jean… What the hell is happening? _

Another tense silence kept them still, puzzling over what the hell they could actually do. Eren racked his brain, but could think of nothing (aside from become a titan.) He was still set on that idea. Even if he couldn't climb up again, he could defend them, carry them. But Levi had had a good point about avalanches. It wasn't like he could do it silently. 

After what seemed like forever, Levi stood and turned to face them. 

"Get your gear on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters! Yay! Thanks for reading!


	6. Defend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa, Jean, and Armin fight for their lives, without much hope of survival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Wow, I'm so so sorry for the MASSIVE wait. I've been going through some junk and getting my life together. I hope some of you are still reading this. It's almost finished, I promise.

Jean tried very hard to look firm as Mikasa glared at him. It was a good plan, the  _ only _ plan. Why'd she have to be so damn stubborn? But he supposed that's what Eren's been saying for years.

"Mikasa, this is the only thing we can do," Jean said, and he hated how his voice shook. 

Mikasa shook her head. "If I'm understanding this correctly, you want me to use my gear to carry Armin to the rock wall, leaving you behind to be torn apart by wolves?"

Jean paled. Did she have to put it so vividly? "Y-yeah… You can't carry both of us, especially with Armin out of it like this. This way, at least most of us will live."

"I can carry both of you," Mikasa retorted.

Jean shook his head, wishing with all his might that it were true. "I know, I get it, you're stronger than everyone, but that doesn't mean you can save all three of us! It would weigh too much and diminish your speed. Someone has to stay behind."

Mikasa stood, looking at the blazing tree for a long moment. The tree was blackened now, burning faster than he would've liked. Their time was ticking away fast. They needed to make a decision. Jean looked down at Armin, his head still nestled in his lap. His breathing was shallow and he was pale and balmy. They needed to get him medicine right away. The faster they could get out of this, the better- or.... the faster  _ Mikasa _ could get  _ Armin _ out… 

Jean didn't want to die. Not in the slightest. The thought of it was making him feel colder than the fever already was. But it was a hard decision, so if it was the choice of saving either he or Armin, Jean wanted Armin to live. They'd only just begun seeing the world, exploring this dream that the golden-haired boy had always had. Jean wanted Armin's eyes to stay bright as he lived this life he had to the fullest, and if Jean had to be left behind for that, he was ready to be fine with it.

"This is my fault, so it's my call," Mikasa said after a while.

"Oh, really? That's just great," Jean said bitterly. 

Mikasa walked up to him, her eyes set in a glare, then she dropped a hard fist onto his already aching head.

"Shit! What the hell, Mika-?!" Jean shouted, but it was cut short as Mikasa gripped the front of his coat.

"I'm not letting either of you die here," she ground out, her voice steady and firm and suddenly Jean felt like he was arguing with a mountain.

He huffed, looking away as he rubbed the top of his head. "Then what do  _ you _ suggest?"

Mikasa released his coat to touch her fingers to Armin's pallor face. "We'll hold Armin on my front, and you hang onto him and me from the back. If you let go, he'll fall too, so don't even think about it."

Jean frowned. It was a lot of weight, and it would take up a lot of gas. But he really didn't want to die, so he wondered if it was selfish to agree. 

"Fine. But once we make it to the wall, what then? That's just a short burst to get over there. I don't think you could carry us both back up the mountain. And those wolves'll attack once we leave this spot."

Mikasa frowned. "I'll fight them off. There aren't too many of them now. You defend Armin."

There had to be a better way to do this. There  _ had _ to be. But Jean was tired and his head was pounding anew. Maybe she could, this  _ is _ Mikasa… but the last time he'd thought that, she pulled the three of them down a mountainside.

"Alright. If you think that'll work, fine."

It was hard to hear Armin's pained groans, having not even energy to scream as they pulled him up for Mikasa to hold to her chest, wrapping his arms around her neck. Jean reached around, holding tightly to Armin's arm with one hand, and waist with the other. His right hand was pulsing with pain as he gripped Armin's arm, but he refused to let go.  

They probably looked ridiculous, but he was more worried about them all coming out of this alive and not being eaten by ravenous wolves, (really, how stupid would it be to live through the Titan War only to get eaten by dumb wolves.)

"Ready?" Mikasa asked, and Jean nodded against her back.

Mikasa's grappling hooks shot out, digging into the rock face and with a jolt, they were flying through the air. He could feel the strain, but it was working. He held tighter to Armin, doing his best to keep the boy from slipping. When Mikasa wasn't needing her hands, she clung to them, to his arm, and to Armin's. 

A few seconds later, Mikasa turned to the side, taking the full brunt of the landing onto her shoulder. He heard her grunt as the grappling hooks disengaged and they were to the rock now. Mikasa held onto Armin and pushed him up the the short rock ledge jutting out. It would give them the high ground against the wolves as they emerged from the edge of the forest. 

"C'mon!" Mikasa said after she pulled Armin up, then reached a hand to Jean. He took it, and thankfully he scampered up in time to avoid the claws of a rampaging wolf.

Mikasa responded by whipping out her sword, driving the blade into it's head. It fell back and Mikasa shoved Jean back towards Armin. "Keep close to the wall!"

Jean pulled Armin further back. Armin was limp, barely conscious, by what Jean could tell. His eyes were open though, blinking slowly, taut with the pain. Armin's eyes slid over to Jean and Jean just wished he could take away that pain Armin was feeling.

"Jean… what's happening…?" Armin asked in a quiet voice.

Jean swallowed, rubbing his fingers over Armin's forehead. "It's gonna be alright," he muttered, hoping desperately it wasn't a lie.

He looked up to Mikasa as she drove both swords into another wolf, then yanked them out. They were dulled, both broken into different lengths. And those were her last ones…

Jean struggled with his belt, trying to pull his own pistol. His right hand was messed up, but maybe he could give Mikasa a better weapon than broken swords.

"Mikasa! My gun!" 

Mikasa glanced back, and that was a mistake. A wolf caught her neck mid swipe. Mikasa cried out and Jean could see blood, but Mikasa responded quickly, stabbing a sword into it's eye. 

"Mikasa!"

"I'm fine!" she shouted, shooting her gear at one of the wolves below, bringing it up and shoving a sword through it. But she wasn't fast enough to pull it out again. Another wolf was leaping at her face, while her swords were still plunging into the carcase. 

"No!" Jean shouted, watching the scene in horror. The gun was still in his hands, but he couldn't aim correctly. He had just as much chance of hitting Mikasa as he did of the wolf. The last thing he saw was Mikasa covering her face. 

As it struck, an arrow protruded from its eye socket. Jean blinked, just as confused as Mikasa looked. He looked up and his heart soared. From above, Sasha shot another arrow down into the fray, Eren and Levi close behind her.

"You guys okay?!" Sasha shouted, coming closer.

Jean laughed, leaning against the rock wall, nearly collapsing. "Oh my god."

Sasha grabbed him, hoisting him up the wall as Levi lifted up Armin, and Eren pulled Mikasa up. Jean couldn't help the tears that fell as he held onto Sasha. They had been about to die. They were so close. The wolves would've killed Mikasa, and then torn Jean and Armin up with no effort at all.

They were safe. They were alive.

Jean glanced at Armin, limp in Levi's arms, and he breathed out a long breath.  _ We're alive _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! There's plenty more to come, so stay tuned! Also comments are always and forever loved and cherished


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